Structure Framework of the Traditional Knowledge Database in China

Recently, traditional knowledge (TK) has attracted increasing attention both in domestic and international society. As a long history and diverse culture in China, there are colourful traditional knowledge created by the ethnic people and local communities, but a lot of TK are disappearing or threatened by various factors. It is very important to inventory, organize and document these TK and associated genetic resource by use of databases, in order to record and protect the TK effectively. In this paper, a classification system for TK categories was proposed as a base structure for TK database development. Taking into account for the experience in India, a program planning and framework to develop the national TK Database was presented and structured in this paper, focusing on the TK in the ethnic minority areas of China, with the 5 categories. Therefore, the establishment of TKDL will be significant for fair and equitable benefit-sharing on access and use of TK in China.